Justice – katyandtheword

Disarmed God

Disarmed God
I remember
that

You disarmed
Your Divine self
Permanently

That you hung
your weapon in
the sky:
Publicly
As a reminder
That you are
the Nonviolent God
The God of Love

It is little wonder
That some people
find Rainbows
Offensive

Jesus Christ
I remember
That you disarmed
Those who would
Stone a woman
in the street
with a few words
of compassion

That you healed
The blind man
Of sins and his disability
so that he had to be seen
as a person with or without
your disability
Stopping so called
microaggressions
Disclusion and other
forms of ableist violence
against him

(we can talk about
consent
and disability
not taking away
From your wholeness
Later)

Jesus I remember
You disarmed
everyone
At YOUR ARREST
when things could
go down in
absolute violence
with healing

An ear got cut off
And no one could hear the
other’s side (talk about symbolism)
You heal the slave of the enemy
…Holy Spirit the fact that you
come to the marginalized
and oppressed at this moment

and heal and disarm
at the tensest of moments

You are the God of
Disarmament
And healing
And give ears
to those who are willing to hear
And help those
who are bystanders
powerless
marginalized

There is no God of
Guns, bombs or violence
Not here
You repeat
that is not You

You don’t know any such presence
The power you exude doesn’t need
any buffoonery of triumphalism

Instead you come clothed in peace,
“Peace I will give you” Jesus,
Prince, Keeper, Steward of Peace

Disarm us
Disarm Humanity
So that we learn the art of War
No more

But only grow food
Food
to feed one another

We pray

Amen

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

The Muppet Movie cast singing The Rainbow Connection (Finale) | Fan art ...

All the muppets singing rainbow connection, under a rainbow

Peace and Perfume: O the Humanity

Blessed are the Peacemakers
Says Jesus
God
Teach Us
To Make
Create
Policy Even
Shalom

Peace that is
Wholeness
Health
the kind that
Forbids Dehumanizing one another

God
You know
Because
You embodied
This being Human
There really is no
Such thing as
Microagressions

That is just us
Doing violence
to one another

In another way
Is there such
a thing as
“I dehumanized you
But it didn’t count?”

“I did violence
to your reflection
of the imago dei
But it was TOTALLY
Rationale”

Jesus says
Let the one without
Sin cast the first stone

And reminds us
to judge is Human
to give Justice Divine

God See to your humans
We are down here with
Governments trying to
start WWIII
while us people
are busy trying to afford Bread

Teach us to have
Potluck together
To Liberate one another
To Celebrate one another
As humanity

Teach us to be like Mary
To extravagantly Love one another
To wash one another’s feet in
perfume, so strong
that the scent
of the act

Fills the whole house

Give us the humanity
to love and serve
one another we pray
Amen.

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

Psalm 3

God,
Why are there so many enemies?
I feel like
I can’t ask people
in Kansas
if they are friends
of Dorothy anymore

And the Scouts
do not feel
trustworthy
Today

Jesus Christ
How many times
Do we cry out

Hosanna
Hosanna
For the Trans Kids
Hosanna
for the Sex Abuse Survivors
Hosanna
for the Women’s Athletes
Hosanna
for the Black Actors, Artists and Musicians
Hosanna
for the kidnapped, the revealed deaths, the scared immigrants
Hosanna

Hosanna for the World
for Iraq, Pakistan, Cuba, Ukraine

Hosanna

I call to you, and many say
Why do you call to God
God doesn’t help Woke people

But I cry out
And God answers

I go to sleep and I wake up
God is sustaining us

We are not afraid of the people who are against us
Even if they number tens of thousands

God,
You are already
Awake
So I say
Rise Up
Save us
Hosanna,

O My God!
Deliver us,
Strike All my enemies on the cheek
You
Break teeth of the wicked

For

Deliverance
is God’s

Blessings belong to your People

God, protect the vulnerable
and stop evil
we pray
Amen

Feel free to adapt/share/use with Credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

Crumbling Empires

Herod doesn’t win
Nor does Caesar
The Empire will crumble

God is with the marginalize
the poor
the imprisoned
the oppressed
the abused
the tortured

Jesus walks
with the different
the disabled
the forgotten
the misgendered
the repressed
the voiceless
the hurt

Our Divine is all about housing
everyone
feeding the hungry
clothing the naked
and meting out equity and justice
and true liberation

It is written
It is proclaimed
It is the Good News

This is the true Glory of God
Anyone who thinks they can tame
the Holy Spirit
is a pretender

We recognize Jesus

in every act
Peace
Empathy
and Love

Don’t you?

Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

Psalm 3: Prayer for Minneapolis in the midst of danger

God,
You know our foes
are endless
They are armed to the teeth

With guns
nefarious policies
and hate

And many are saying
God cannot help you
For these White Supremacists

Are they not calling on the same God?

But God, you are my protection
Because, you sustain the Love
Within my heart
reminding me of small children
in bunny hats

Of women in cars
And disarmed observers
And police officers leading Jan 7th rioters
away from Congress
All of whom are worthy of your protection

So I cry out to you
I cry before I go to bed
And somehow I Fall to Sleep
And then I wake up
Tears, still in my eyes
And cry out again

Lord, Sweet, Baby Jesus
I know the only thing Sustaining
me is you

Selah!

I am not afraid of my enemies
I say
(Sometimes)

I am will do the next brave thing
Contact my senator
Mutual Aid

I will not give up
Rise up
God

My rock and my salvation

You will strike up my enemies
(not my job)
And break the teeth of the wicked

Note Lord, how I’m praying for your justice, not mine

Come sit with us,

Cry with us, Save us, Make your presence known, Holy Spirit we do not know what to Say or do anymore.

Rise up, Lord.

And teach us how to Rise up too, we even in the midst of all of this we pray.

Amen.

Feel free to share/adapt/ use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

None of This Nonsense Please

God,
It seems that
the senseless violence
goes on
and on

ICE spills onto whiteness
The Not peace in Palestine
The invasion of Caracas

Not to mention
kidnapping of neighbors
Healthcare, childcare and education being destroyed

And all the things

I confess I’ve started to dread Fridays
when the Admin seems to strike

And we all know
about the Eptsein Victims
But the files
God

The violence continues
As nonsensical
As our lines of sand
That make borders

As senseless
as giving more rights
To corporations
Than humans

As senseless
as pursuing artificial intelligence
Before feeding everyone

God
I feel like Alice
In Wonderland
Scared
Because everyone
is speaking gibberish
and the dictator is
Running around screaming
Off with their heads

So I am praying for
Less Herods
and more Wise Sages

Less Violence
And more Peace

Less Nonsence
And More Art

God
Be with us
As we turn away from
Death Dealing practices
And pursue Life Giving Ones
We Pray

Amen

Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

God, help us to recognize Superman

God,
I just saw
Superman

And I pray for
the day
when
movies
don’t hit
home
So hard

And the brown
children
in the midst of
war
waving a flag
Don’t break your
heart

And the world
Splitting in two
of a “Natural
Disaster”
doesn’t
make
your jaw clench

And God
I pray that
when people
cry because
the Lex Luthers
of the world
Make them
feel bad
And the immigrants
are the Superheroes

That the Holy Spirit
Keeps
Tapping them
On the shoulder
nipping
Them
in the
Ear
And
touching
them on their
heart

Because
Maybe art
Isn’t the one
Way through

But I’ll take
Blood,
Sweat,
Tears,
Votes

And
your favorite
Pop
Character

Because
At this point
Anything
To Welcome
people

to there revelation

God help us
Walk until
everyone
can see
the Superpuppy
as cute

and all earthlings
as Beloved

We pray.
Amen.

Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

with thanks to my middle child Westley who loves all movies, and honors remakes and sequels, etc and more of the thing he loves and teaches a deep appreciation of all art–it’s good remember to take joy in all things (This movie was really good, but it is truly fun to walk in to everything with the attitude of, this will be fun)

Screw This

Screw this
Screw this Reality
Screw this Bill
Screw Money
Screw Whiteness
Screw Racism

Screw Millionaires
Special Interests
Backroom Bills
And the ones we can see too

Screw working together with Those who hate the weak
While the hungry cry out
the people are being kidnapped
Your grandparents don’t know how they are going to get medical care
Disabilities, Queerness, and our Black and Brown siblings are hated
with the full force of the law

Screw that

Screw our children being afraid of
Everything
Screw the hard questions about the world they are coming into
Screw the rolling back of Environmental justice

Screw redefining words so that everything becomes “too political”

Screw Praying when we
should be Arguing
Walking
Fighting
Voting
And Protecting Each Other

And Screw this Economy that doesn’t
Give us time to breathe
Much less Care

Screw Everything
And Screw Up my face
With the tears
That run down It
As I don’t
Have the right Words
Or
Actions
Or Things to Do
And all I have
Is the Gut reaction
Of Screw Everything
And I empty Myself
Full on Confessional to
God

Saying Screw it

And I figure
God knows
And is probably
saying the same thing
With me

Screw Injustice
And Hopelessness
And “Good Enough”
This isn’t gonna Cut it
Anymore

Screw it
Until we Screw Together
Something else
I don’t even know What
But somehow
Screw it
Is a prayer

Holy Spirit Come
Help us to say
Screw it
To all we need to let go of
Then help us to
Unscrew all the Loose Screws

(And then
Maybe
Find us the tools we need
To start the work again)

But right now
Screw it

Feel free to share/adapt/Use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”

Magnificat Now

God
See to your humans
For they are conceited

But I will Praise God
Who is Merciful to those who need
Good News
Tear the mighty off their supremacy courts
Lift up the oppressed
Free the kidnapped

Help us to magnify
Your Power
and Glory
So that your Grace
Overshadows
all of this evil
Feeding the hunger
Sending the Rich
Techbros
Comfortable Politicians
White Supremacists
Away with Nothing
For their promises are Empty

But you God Remember
That your Promises
are Made of Empathy
and Mercy
And endure
Forever
And so we stand with You
God
The God of Immigrants
Chosen Names
and Found Families
Now and Forever
Amen.

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

Thy Kin-Dom Come

I don’t want to live
in a world
Where we live out
imprisoning
and killing
immigrants
innocent
and guilty
side by side
Why they cry out
for water

I don’t want to live
in a world
where
the loneliness
of those in power
manifests
in intimidation
betrayal
and
empty promises

I don’t
want the Palm Sundays
of Protest
to End in the
Fridays
of Violence
where
we think

Sacrifice is
the only answer

I don’t
Want us
to Cry out
“my
God
MY GOD
why…

Why have
You abandoned
Me?”
Feeling the
Hell of
Divine
absence

I don’t
want to
live out
empty
Saturdays
Of Mourning
Where there
is absolutely
no right
word of
comfort to Say

But I do
Want
the resurrection
of community
Where
White people
Learn
Listening
and Community
And Solidarity
for Real this time

I do want the
Apostle-ship
Of the Women
To be
whispered

At Dawn
And for the
Empires
To topple
at the truth

And I do
want the
Church
To be
Alive
and well

Not in pews
Or choirs
But in

Shared Meals
and understandings
Beyond denominations
And accountability
Liberation
And Mission
in the Neighborhood and Beyond

I want to
meet Jesus
And God
in the gardens
And for
the Divine to remind us
That all the
Seeds that we are
Planting Count

(Even the ones that don’t bloom)
And that
God is tending
some to produce
Resurrection
Harvests
Beyond
All Imaginings

And I
Want to
Remember

That Chuffing
Off
the Offal
Is Ok
And that
Jesus
will Rise
Again

And he
Will Kneel
in the Garden
To Plant
And so
Of course

We will kneel
Next to him

In solidarity

And so
With
the Holy Spirit
Whispering
Encouragement
In My
Heart
I walk
Towards
a Kin-Dom
Now.

Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”